Mark Simon of Toledo arrested, bitcoin seized in Fake IDs probe

Fake IDs seized at a bar in Springfield nearly three years ago led to a multi-year investigation, the recent arrest of a Toledo man and the seizure of millions in bitcoin cryptocurrency, the Toledo Blade reports.

The investigation launched by the Ohio Department of Public Safety in October 2015 led to the arrest earlier this week of 34-year-old Mark A. Simon, who was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court with producing and transferring false identification documents, according to the Blade.

The ODPS investigation began after fake IDs were collected at a bar in Springfield and a Wittenberg University student admitted to agents that he and a friend acquired one of the IDs via the Reddit.com website, according to the Blade.

The seller of phony Ohio driver’s licenses was traced back to Simon, who logged in under the online name of “TedDanzigSR,” according to the Blade’s report.

Citing an affidavit filed in court by the U.S. Secret Service, the Blade reports that federal agents raided Simon’s Toledo home and three other locations on Tuesday and agents seized approximately $4.7 million in bitcoin, found on “30 wallets” in a computer thumb drive.

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About the Author

Richard Wilson